"Captain!" Mashiro Kuna cried out in shock, appearing beside Kensei with a flicker. Invisible attacks followed one after another.
Squelch!
The Shihakusho was shredded into pieces. Mashiro Kuna's fair back was exposed, and blood sprayed out like it was free. Soon, a large amount of white viscous fluid enveloped the young girl.
Makiya's heart pounded. Facing Aizen, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness. Kyoka Suigetsu's manipulation of the five senses was not an invincible Zanpakuto ability, but its owner was too monstrous. With his Reiatsu being crushed, he had no power to fight back.
Squelch!
Intense pain spread from his abdomen throughout his body. Cold, frenzied, and malevolent energy invaded his body through the wound. White liquid flowed from his stomach across his entire body. The soul-tearing agony made him howl out loud.
Roar!
A pure white bone mask grew over his face. Makiya endured the excruciating pain, desperately trying to maintain his last shred of sanity.
'As expected... I can only... rely on myself...'
Numerous thoughts vanished in the face of the pain. Aizen? Yhwach? It didn't matter anymore.
Come what may, all he had to do was swing his blade. Fight with all his might, until there were no regrets.
Casting aside all thoughts, a terrifying Reiatsu that had never been fully unleashed erupted from Makiya's body. The suddenly intensified pressure spread outward. The Hollowfied Mashiro Kuna was instantly blown away, and Kensei Muguruma slumped to one knee with a thud.
Kaname Tosen, hiding in the shadows, swung his blade again, striking Makiya's thigh.
Clang.
A spark flared. Kaname Tosen paused. His blade... had been deflected?!
He couldn't even break through the defense!
Kaname Tosen was shaken to his core and used Shunpo to pull back.
"Heh, you have some backbone after all..." A charming female voice echoed in his heart. The Asauchi held tightly in Makiya's hand glowed with red light.
"Wha... what..." Makiya was on the verge of losing consciousness, the intense pain eroding his sanity every second.
Sensing he was under attack, he swung the Asauchi around, shattering the ground.
"Blegh! Small fry, small fry, small fry. My master is such a smelly small fry!" The charming female voice turned into a crisp loli voice, reaching Makiya's ears intermittently. It sounded like a whisper right beside him, yet also as if it were coming from far away.
Aizen's narrowed eyes opened slightly, revealing a look of anticipation. "Oh? Interesting."
A fake smile was plastered on Gin Ichimaru's face, his tone filled with amazement. "Such terrifying Reiatsu. Sixth Seat Makiya has been hiding quite a lot."
"It's not just the Reiatsu, Gin." Aizen seemed to have found a favorite toy, his tone unusually expectant. "Watch closely. Something interesting is about to happen."
---------------------------------------------
"Call out my name."
The call echoed once more within Makiya's heart.
The voice was gentle and considerate, like a soft breeze brushing past his face, alleviating Makiya's pain.
"You are..."
Clarity returned to Makiya's eyes. The cold Hollow power and the erupting Reiatsu were in a brief stalemate, but over time, the balance would eventually break.
"Call out my name."
Within that single sentence, the crisp, gentle, and charming voices alternated in turn, as if in a cycle of reincarnation.
The voice became clear. A name appeared in Makiya's mind, as if branded into the depths of his soul, yet also as if it were the soul itself.
He held the Asauchi high. Red light emanated from his body, and the bone mask on his face was enveloped in red light, looking both holy and malevolent.
Obscure release words drifted from his mouth.
"Suppress the light and restrain the flames, hide the brilliance and conceal the dark. All of creation enters Nirvana, all things return to rebirth..."
The blade of the Asauchi gradually lengthened and straightened within the red light. Bright red flames enveloped Makiya's body.
The hilt and guard fused together, transforming into a uniquely shaped parasol tree branch. The entire body was covered in profound flame patterns, like an ancient totem telling myths from primordial times.
"...Ablaze, Chisato!"
As the last word left his mouth, a soft cry from the depths of his soul echoed in his ears.
A red-bladed miaodao appeared in Makiya's hand.
Aizen remained unfazed, maintaining a calm smile as if appreciating a performance. However, deep down, he was not at peace.
'What is going on? Why did I hear... a bird's cry? No, that sound just now didn't come from the outside; it rang directly in my heart.'
Aizen focused his gaze on the red blade in Makiya's hand. Makiya's Shikai exceeded his expectations. Things were becoming... even more interesting.
Boom!
A sea of bright red fire erupted from the blade, instantly enveloping Makiya.
The flames were pure, without any impurities—stately, holy, and natural.
Although the temperature wasn't high, Kaname Tosen retreated again and again. He instinctively sensed that if he were touched by these flames, something terrible would definitely happen.
The fire covered his whole body as if merging with it. Everything about Makiya changed and restructured within the flames. The Soul Reaper's Reiatsu and the Hollow power that had invaded his body fused together, and his aura climbed steadily.
"I see." Makiya closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation. The pleasure of breaking the Soul Reaper's limits surpassed all earthly joys. The elevation of his soul's essence was addictive. "Is this your ability, Chisato?"
"What a... domineering woman."
The Hollow power was rapidly consumed. The malevolent bone mask trembled violently, no longer possessing its previous ferocity and dominance. Like a bullied young wife, it shivered within Chisato's flames.
The flames melted the mask and devoured the last bit of Hollow power. Makiya's aura gradually stabilized, and his strength stopped climbing.
As if unsatisfied, the flames burned within Makiya's body, targeting a mysterious Reiatsu hidden within his own.
"Hey, stop!" Makiya called out just in time.
When the flames of Chisato enveloped the mysterious Reiatsu in his body, Aizen and the other two suddenly appeared in his field of vision out of thin air.
That Reiatsu belonged to Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu!
Makiya felt greatly relieved. Now that he had a countermeasure, he decided to keep this Reiatsu for the time being.
The flames of Chisato radiated from his body, rapidly spreading outward with Makiya as the center. The bright red fire covered Kensei Muguruma and the other four. The screams gradually died down, and the bone masks were being driven away by the flames bit by bit.
"Oh my, Lord Aizen, Sixth Seat Makiya is destroying our test subjects." Gin Ichimaru spoke as if he were just an amused bystander.
"No, Gin. An experiment is called an experiment because it's meant to explore the unknown." Aizen looked at Makiya and the Chisato in his hand, his tone full of wonder. "Sixth Seat Makiya is completing the final step for us. What a... precious Shikai."
The Hollow power was completely stripped away. Kensei Muguruma and the others fell into unconsciousness one after another. Their fluctuating auras gradually stabilized.
"Cry! Suzumushi!"
A sudden eruption of Reiatsu caught the attention of Aizen and the others. After Kaname Tosen realized he couldn't break the defense, he pulled back and used his Shikai.
"Suzumushi Nishiki: Benihiko!"
He swung his Zanpakuto in a circle, and countless blades manifested in the air. At Kaname Tosen's command, the blades rained down on Makiya.
Holding his sword with one hand, Makiya swung Chisato so fast it created an airtight defense. The blades with terrifying piercing power were all deflected. The flames of Chisato poured out, covering everything around them, and the chaotic fluctuations of spirit particles were consolidated in Makiya's mind.
Then, Makiya appeared in front of Kaname Tosen with Shunpo and delivered a slash.
Boom!
Terrifying Reiatsu accompanied the howling slash. With the reinforcement of Reiatsu far exceeding that of an ordinary Captain, even a simple swing possessed incredible power.
"What? How can this be?!" Kaname Tosen's expression changed drastically. Under the cover of Kyoka Suigetsu, he never expected his position to be exposed. Caught off guard, a severed arm flew into the air.
The slash shattered the ground, and countless buildings collapsed.
At the same time, reinforcements from the Gotei 13 finally arrived.
Fifth Division Captain Shinji Hirako, Twelfth Division Captain Kisuke Uhara, and Second Division Captain Yoruichi Shihoin were the first to arrive. Following them were the seemingly fragile Fourth Division Captain Retsu Unohana, Third Division Captain Juro Otoribashi, and several Lieutenants.
"My, my." Twelfth Division Captain Kisuke Uhara opened his folding fan to cover half his face. "What terrifying Reiatsu. It seems the Gotei 13 is about to gain another Captain-level figure."
Retsu Unohana looked every bit the Yamato Nadeshiko, but beneath her gentle smile was a burgeoning battle intent. Makiya's slash just now reminded her of her happy times in the past, and her gaze toward Makiya held a hidden longing.
Almost instantly, Retsu Unohana suppressed all her thoughts and organized the arriving members to begin medical treatment.
However, the Reiatsu Makiya emitted was too terrifying. The members couldn't step forward; just getting close made it hard to breathe, and their bodies went limp.
"Sixth Seat Makiya," Retsu Unohana swallowed hard, her tone calm. "Please restrain your Reiatsu and let my team members through."
"Ah, sorry." Makiya quickly retracted the flames and deactivated his Shikai. He had just quietly blocked Kyoka Suigetsu and was observing Aizen's reaction, not paying attention to the others.
Aizen and Gin Ichimaru turned and walked away slowly. Kaname Tosen picked up his severed arm and followed them, his steps clumsy.
Under the cover of Kyoka Suigetsu, none of the Captains noticed anything unusual.
"My, my, Lord Aizen, it seems your Kyoka Suigetsu has been broken." Gin Ichimaru's fake smile almost faltered, and he struggled to hide the flash of excitement in his narrowed eyes.
He seemed to see the hope of personally killing his enemy.
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